{{Short description|American veteran of World War II}} {{Use American English|date=October 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox military person | name = Edward Heffron | image = EdHeffron.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Private Edward Heffron in World War II | nickname = "Babe" | birth_date = {{birth date|1923|05|16|df=yes}} | birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2013|12|01|1923|05|16|df=yes}} | death_place = Stratford, New Jersey, U.S. | burial_place = | allegiance = United States | branch = United States Army | service_years = 1942–1945 | rank = Private First Class | unit = E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division | battles = World War II *Operation Overlord *Operation Market Garden *Battle of the Bulge | awards = Bronze Star Medal<br/>Purple Heart | relations = Joseph (father)<br/>Anne (mother) | other_work = Author }} '''Edward James''' "'''Babe'''" '''Heffron''' (16 May 1923 – 1 December 2013) was a private with E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. Heffron was portrayed in the HBO miniseries ''Band of Brothers'' by Robin Laing. In 2007, Heffron wrote ''Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story'' with fellow veteran William "Wild Bill" Guarnere and journalist Robyn Post.
==Early life== Edward James Heffron<ref name="Brothers">{{cite book|last1=Guarnere|first1=William|last2=Heffron|first2=Edward|last3=Post|first3=Robyn|title=Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story|year=2007|publisher=Berkley Caliber|location=New York|isbn=978-0-425-21970-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D1SEQMTAdYsC|access-date=8 October 2017}}</ref>{{rp|8}} was born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1923,<ref name="Brothers" />{{rp|87}} the third of five children to Joseph (a prison guard) and Anne. The family was Irish Catholic and attended Mass every Sunday; Heffron and his siblings attended Sacred Heart Catholic School.<ref name="Brothers" />{{rp|8–9}} He attended South Philadelphia High School, but had to drop out to earn money during the Great Depression.<ref name="Brothers" />{{rp|11–12}}
Heffron went to work at New York Shipbuilding in Camden, New Jersey, sandblasting cruisers in preparation for converting them to light aircraft carriers. Because of his job, he had a 2B exemption from military service, but he did not use it, since he wanted to go with his friend, Anthony Cianfrani, into the airborne.<ref name="Brothers" />{{rp|13–14}} As a teenager, he had developed an intermittent medical condition where his hands and fingers would curl under and lock up, causing severe pain (possibly, the onset of Dupuytren's contracture), but this was never mentioned to anyone as he wanted to continue playing football in school. Either the exemption or the medical condition would have allowed him to remain stateside, but he refused to stay home when his brothers (Joseph, James, and John), friends, and neighbors were all doing their duty.<ref name="Brothers" />{{rp|10–11,14}} Heffron enlisted on 7 November 1942 in his hometown.<ref name="NARA">"United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KMNQ-8S5 : 5 December 2014), Edward J Heffron, enlisted 7 Nov 1942, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (https://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 126323, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.</ref>
==Military service== As a replacement member of E Company, Heffron fought and proved himself in several major battles, including Operation Overlord in France, Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, and the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne, Belgium. During the latter, he served as a machine gunner and was awarded the Bronze Star. He helped to liberate the Kaufering concentration camp in Landsberg, Germany, and to seize Hitler's Eagle's Nest (Kehlsteinhaus).<ref name=Alexander>{{cite book|title=Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers|first=Larry |last=Alexander|publisher=NAL Caliber|year=2005|url=https://archive.org/details/biggestbrother00larr|url-access=registration|isbn=0-451-21510-9}}</ref><ref name=Ambrose>{{cite book|title=Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest|first=Stephen E. |last=Ambrose|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=1992|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Q41xjSUeZsC|isbn=978-0-7434-6411-6}}</ref>
While at jump school, Heffron made a pact with his two best friends, John T. "Johnny" Julian and J. D. Henderson, that if anything happened to one of them, the others would gather up that person's personal belongings and return them to that person's family, while also making sure that they contacted the family and carried out any other individual requests. Henderson was wounded in Veghel, and made it back to the US.<ref name="Brothers" />{{rp|51, 57, 124}} Julian and Heffron served together in Easy Company.
On 1 January 1945, Heffron was in his foxhole manning his machine gun when he heard Sergeant Johnny Martin cry out that Julian had been hit. He left his position and attempted to get to Julian, but enemy fire prevented any approach. Every time he tried to make a move for Julian, the Germans opened fire, driving Heffron and his fellow soldiers back. Later, the squad that Julian was in repelled the Germans and brought back his body, but Heffron could not bring himself to look at his friend's corpse.<ref name="Brothers" />{{rp|180–181}} It would be 12 years after the war before Heffron could bring himself to call Julian's mother, honoring the pact he and his friends had made at jump school.<ref name="Brothers" />{{rp|237–238}}
In early May 1945, after Easy Company's penultimate operation, the capture of the Eagle's Nest, Heffron was standing guard duty at a crossroads near Berchtesgaden when German General Theodor Tolsdorff, commander of the LXXXII Corps, came down the road leading 31 vehicles (much of them loaded with the general's personal property). The general told Heffron that he wished to surrender, but only to an officer, not to an enlisted man. The officer who ultimately accepted the surrender was Lt. Carwood Lipton.<ref name=Ambrose />{{rp|267–268}}
==Later years== After the war, Heffron went to work for Publicker Industries, which operated a whiskey distillery at 3223 South Delaware Avenue in Philadelphia. His brothers worked at Publicker's Snyder Avenue plant, also in South Philadelphia. In 1966, after he had been employed by Publicker for 20 years, the company moved its Philadelphia operations to Linfield, Pennsylvania. Heffron did not move with the company, and spent the next 27 years working on the Philadelphia waterfront, checking cargo and clerking.<ref name="Brothers" />{{rp|223}}
Heffron and Guarnere remained lifelong friends after returning home. Guarnere was best man at Heffron's wedding in 1954,<ref>{{cite news|title=Duty Bound|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20135453,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321231042/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20135453,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 March 2014|publisher=People|date=15 October 2001}}</ref> then godfather to Heffron's daughter Patricia.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wild Bill Guarnere and Babe Heffron: A Remembrance|url=http://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/03/14/band-of-brothers-vets-wild-bill-guarnere-babe-heffron-remembrance/|publisher=Philadelphia|date=14 March 2014}}</ref>
In the ''Band of Brothers'' miniseries, Heffron was played by Scottish actor Robin Laing. Heffron appears as himself at the end of episode ten, speaking about the company, and also makes a brief cameo appearance in the fourth episode, as an unidentified man sitting at a table in Eindhoven and waving a small flag as Sgt. Floyd Talbert kisses a Dutch woman.<ref name="Brothers" />{{rp|267}}
Heffron and Guarnere wrote ''Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story'' with journalist Robyn Post in 2007, outlining the activities of E Company from 1942 to 1945.<ref name="Brothers" /> They also appear in the documentary ''We Stand Alone Together''.<ref>HBO, We Stand Alone Together</ref>
In 2013, Heffron, who never graduated from high school, was named an honorary graduate of West Point High School in West Point, Virginia.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131204041334/http://www.tidewaterreview.com/news/va-tr-famed-wwii-veteran-and-honorary-graduate-of-west-point-high-school-babe-heffron-dies-20131202,0,3663177.story Famed WWII veteran and honorary graduate of West Point High School, Babe Heffron, dies]</ref>
==Death and legacy== Heffron died on 1 December 2013 at Kennedy Hospital in Stratford, New Jersey;<ref>[http://www.philly.com/philly/obituaries/20131203__Babe__Heffron__90__hero_of__Band_of_Brothers_.html 'Babe' Heffron, 90, hero of 'Band of Brothers']</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Band-of-Brothers-WWII-Vet-Babe-Heffron-Dies-90--234111301.html|title='Band of Brothers' WWII Vet "Babe" Heffron Dies at 90|date=2 December 2013 |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Edward Heffron, of WWII's 'Band of Brothers,' dies|url=http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20131203/NEWS/312030015/Edward-Heffron-WWII-s-Band-Brothers-dies|publisher=Military Times|date=3 December 2013|access-date=27 April 2014|archive-date=27 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427154003/http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20131203/NEWS/312030015/Edward-Heffron-WWII-s-Band-Brothers-dies|url-status=dead}}</ref>
On 17 September 2015, the 71st anniversary of Operation Market Garden, a statue of Heffron's likeness was unveiled in his old neighborhood in South Philadelphia. Located near 2nd and Reed streets, the {{convert|5|ft|7|in|adj=on}} statue<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.passyunkpost.com/2015/09/21/babe-heffron-memorial-statue-unveiled-in-pennsport/|title=Babe Heffron memorial statue unveiled in Pennsport {{!}} Passyunk Post|last=Farnsworth|first=Taylor|access-date=2017-05-11}}</ref> includes a plaque detailing Heffron's military career, as well as a bronze heart that contains a portion of his and his wife's ashes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20150918_Homage_to_a_humble_hero__a_son_of_South_Philly.html?photo_2|title=Homage to a humble hero, a son of South Philly|work=Philly.com|access-date=2017-05-11|archive-date=9 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009092503/http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20150918_Homage_to_a_humble_hero__a_son_of_South_Philly.html?photo_2|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2019, the statue was additionally joined by one of Bill Guarnere.<ref>https://www.inquirer.com/life/william-guarnere-edward-heffron-band-of-brothers-statues-20191228.html</ref>
{{Portal|Biography}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote}} *{{IMDb name|1089970}} *[http://www.valorstudios.com/Kuwait_visit.htm Photos of Babe Heffron & the Band of Brothers during the 2008 USO tour to the Middle East] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091014222535/http://www.valorstudios.com/Kuwait_visit.htm |date=14 October 2009 }} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20121022142614/http://www.menofeasycompany.com/home/index.php Men of Easy Company website] *{{cite news|title=Veterans' Day |url=http://www.phillymag.com/articles/veterans-day-guarnere-heffron-band-of-brothers/ |publisher=Philadelphia |date=1 June 2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427125228/http://www.phillymag.com/articles/veterans-day-guarnere-heffron-band-of-brothers/ |archive-date=27 April 2014 }}
{{Band of Brothers (miniseries)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heffron, Edward}} Category:United States Army personnel of World War II Category:Band of Brothers characters Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Military personnel from Philadelphia Category:South Philadelphia High School alumni Category:United States Army soldiers Category:1923 births Category:2013 deaths